SAN JOSE ,CA–APRIL 14TH 2010–Colorado Avalanche against the San Jose Sharks in the first game of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at the HP Pavilion in San Jose Wednesday evening. Andy Cross, The Denver Post

SAN JOSE, Calif. — How to describe the thin line and undeniable difference between athletes at the 99.8 and 99.9 percentile of any given sport?

Maybe it’s as subtle as the sly smile worn by Avalanche wonder kid Matt Duchene after making his first big splash in the NHL playoffs. He swam with the San Jose Sharks and came out without a scratch.

Get used to it. Because however you quantify that ineffable wow that makes a player a champion, Duchene has it.

And San Jose does not.

“You live for this. This is why you play hockey. To come out with Stanley Cup playoffs written on the ice and hearing the crowd go crazy,” Duchene said after Colorado’s 2-1 victory Wednesday night in Game 1 of the series against the toothless Sharks, a bunch of choking jokers who turn into clownfish when the playoffs begin.

Although he will be a teenager for another nine months and stands an inch short of 6 feet tall, Duchene is absolutely not intimidated by any hockey situation. No situation seems too large for this kid.

On the morning of the first NHL postseason game of his young life, Duchene stood in the Avalanche dressing room, chuckling at the futility of a 19-year-old trying to grow a playoff beard. There was a pepper shake of stubble above his lip, a dirty patch on his chin and the sideburns appeared as if Duchene had discovered dust bunnies under the bed and glued them on his face.

“This is what passes for my playoff beard. It’s a three piece. I got one, two and three patches. It doesn’t join up anywhere,” Duchene joked. “It might get dustier as the playoffs go on. And hopefully it gets real bad.”

This is the easy confidence you need to lead a team. When Adam Foote retires, Duchene gets my vote as team captain. Why? You need his “it” factor.

Paul Stastny owns a five-year, $33 million contract. But money can’t buy chutzpah. You wonder if he will ever be the player who seizes the moment and stomps on a foe’s throat.

In the NHL playoffs, Stastny might be too nice, too unassuming and too unselfish to be the man.

For example: In opening period, careless puck-handling by the San Jose defense served up a golden opportunity for Stastny at the blue line. Open ice beckoned. With Colorado on a quick 2-on-1 counter attack, Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov was in position to do little except grit his teeth and pray.

But as Stastny skated between the circles, he did not challenge Nabokov with a big shot, instead choosing to dump a saucer pass to Darcy Tucker, who never caught up to the puck as it trickled harmlessly into the boards.

No offense to Tucker, but a true $6 million man should never, ever surrender a sweet scoring chance to an inferior teammate.

With youth, speed and the solid goaltending of Craig Anderson, the Avalanche has begun to restore the luster to a franchise that seemed doomed to suffer through a down cycle when Joe Sakic left the building.

Stastny was rock-solid in Game 1 against the Sharks, recording two assists, his last setting up the game-winning goal by Chris Stewart in the final minute of the third period.

But Colorado probably cannot develop into a legit contender to win the Stanley Cup so long as the Avs depend on Stastny to lead the way. He does all the small things beautifully, yet does not seem to possess the ego to impose his will on game when hearts are palpitating and the building is on fire with emotion.

If you believe in super heroes, Stastny is the perfect Robin.

Colorado needs somebody to play Batman.

The Avalanche won championships because Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg and Sakic wanted to be the hero.

For Colorado can return to the glory days, Duchene must grow into the job.

What we’re watching is the apprenticeship of the NHL’s next great player.